Each and All

God cares about each little soul like me,
and I'm responsible for my own soul,
God cares a lot about society,
for each of us and also for the whole.

We are to love each person that we meet,
and also each community we're part of,
without our aid, God's work is incomplete
in saving souls and groups that He's the heart of.

Those people and those groups help save us too,
responsible for us as we for them,
we're all interdependent like a crew,
our good they praise, our evil they condemn.

O God, Who loves us each and socially,
may we love You through others who we see.

                            -- by Pete Voelz       1/05

Vested Love

No thing has worth except what we invest,
apart from us--our value is innate.
Why do we honor shiny gold the best?
We see its beauty and then call it great.

From where does our inherent value come?
God made us, loves us, lends us dignity,
He took His life divine and gave us some,
His love invested for eternity.

God is the source of all the truth there is,
He does Creation and then calls it good,
we too can use the standards that are His,
if only they are truly understood.

O God, Youve vested so much love in me,
help me to freely vest my love in Thee.

                     -- by Pete Voelz        4/06

Resisting God

It baffles Me how you can still resist,
I gave you life--I’m irresistable,
you let the devil and his lies persist,
open your heart, I’ll do a miracle.

My loving Son, how come some still resist?
His cross, His death, some say they cannot follow,
His love and joy the tempting world’s dismissed,
But I give grace so He’s not hard to swallow.

This Church of Mine--so many still resist,
this Church that is the body of My Son,
they can’t accept He is the Eucharist,
Like Spirit and I, My Church and Son are One.

It’s true you’re free to choose to do resistance,
but you’ll win heaven if you go the distance.

                                by Pete Voelz      1/4/14

The Heart

Give me the heart, O God, the chips will fall,
Your strength of heart that makes me choose the will
to say I will, Lord, when I hear Your call,
to help Your chips despite my lack of skill.

Your heart of courage, Lord, Thy will be done,
to go on fighting and not quit or quail,
to even fight myself until we’ve won,
and bravely face the fact I often fail.

Your heart of love, O Lord, that is the glue
that holds it all together though I cry,
and not to fear to teach with love the true,
that winning is not all but that we try.

Lend me the courage, Lord, the will, the heart
to love You now enough--at least to start.

                             by Pete Voelz     3/9/14

God Involved

I feel this prod to get involved with God,
Who certainly’s involved Himself with me,
Whose deep and lasting love is no facade,
Who fashioned me so personally for free.

God thought me up and made me out of dust,
He pumps my heart, produces every breath,
in me He puts His faith and hope and trust,
and has prepared my heaven after death.

But there’s a limit how much, Lord, You’re involved,
for my free will You let me fill some space,
for each mystery You let me see resolved,
another I must just let lie with grace.

I s’pose I should get more involved with You,
when You’re so good and beautiful and true.

                                by Pete Voelz     3/27/14

Relationship with God

O God, what’s my relationship with You?
You made me, so obedience I owe,
I am Your child, You are a Father true,
about You and Your works I first should know.

You, Lord, command I worship You, no other,
You call me friend, and so we talk in prayer,
O Christ, as Son of God, You are my Brother,
Your cross of love for me shows how to care.

O Spirit God, we play a spiritual role,
relating in Your Church community,
we serve the poor, You live in every soul,
to serve is love joined with humility.

Lord, we relate more than just personally,
we know and love and serve You socially.

                      by Pete Voelz     3/26/14

A Smile

So do you ever wonder if a smile,
observing someone’s countenance, is real,
with lips turned up and teeth exposed a while,
do these reflect just how they really feel?

Or can you tell more looking at the eyes,
those eyes that are the mirror of the soul,
all crinkled up as if to show surprise,
that smile is true, not just to play some role?

Yet more than these, a smile lights up the face,
a face expressing feelings deep inside,
a smiling face that’s full of joy and grace,
revealing more ourselves than we can hide.

How can you tell that smile’s real for you?
If mouth and eyes and face all smile true.

                     by Pete Voelz     3/25/14